Take A Hike

I so miss hiking with our dogs in the canyons of San Diego! We could let them off of their leashes and they would have such a great time. Liberty would scout things out.... Buddy would run ahead to the nearest shade, lay down, wait for us to get to him, and repeat the same thing over and over again! Buddy would also find a three foot long branch that he would want to carry... and scrape your legs with... during the whole hike. One of Scott's dreams is to hike the Pacific Trail. Liberty would be great for this... Buddy would not. (way too lazy).
Here in South Florida we don't have canyons. There is a state park near the beach that we hike in sometimes... but it just isn't the same.
Anyway.... we do love being outdoors with our dogs. A few years ago I found a great line of products by a company called Outward Hound. Liberty has an Outward Hound backpack. I use their cool-it bandanna collars for the dogs when we hike in warm weather. (Heeellllllooooo... South Florida!) You just keep them in the freezer. I also use on a regular basis either the fanny pack that holds my keys, a collapsible water bowl and two water bottles...or an over the shoulder water bottle and bowl holder. Outward Hound also has a great line of floating throw toys for the beach.
Now that Spring is here, our Outward Hound products will be out and getting a lot of use. Time to take a hike.....

Keep Away

Fresh in from the ASPCA... and a few other doggy websites is this list (actually two parts) of poisonous plants to keep your pups from chewing on...

Angel Trumpet (all of the plant)
Azalea( all)
Bittersweet (leaves and fruit)
Buckthorn ( all)
Caladium (all)
Castor Bean (all)
Chinese Lantern (all)
Chrysanthemum (all)
Daffodil (bulb)
Delphinium (all)
English Ivy (all)
Foxglove (leaf and seeds)
Geranium (all)
Gladiola (bulb)
Holly (all)
Horse Chestnut (flower, sprout and seeds)
Hyacinth (bulb)
Iris (all)
Jerusalem Cherry (leaf, unripe fruit)
Lily of the Valley (all)
Mistletoe (all)
Mushrooms (all of certain types)
Narcissus (all)
Nightshade (all)
Oleander (all)
Peony (roots)
Philodendron (all)
Potato (sprouts, vines, unripe tubers"
Rhododendron (all)
Rhubarb (roots & leaves)
Sago Palm (all, especially seeds)
Trumpet Lily (all)
Vinca Vine (all)
Wandering Jew (leaf)
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More!! From the ASPCA

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Alphabetical listing of poisonous plants by common name

Poisonous Plants by Category

Bulbs: Amaryllis, Autumn Crocus, Daffodil, Day Lily, Elephant Ears, Gladiolas, Hyacinth, Iris, Lily of the Valley, Narcissus, Orange Day Lily, Tulip
Ferns: Aparagus Fern, Australian Nut, Emerald Feather (aka Emerald Fern), Emerald Fern (aka Emerald Feather), Lace Fern, Plumosa Fern
Flowering Plants: Cyclamen, Hydrangea, Kalanchoe, Poinsettia
Garden Perennials: Charming Diffenbachia, Christmas Rose, Flamingo Plant, Foxglove, Marijuana, Morning Glory, Nightshade, Onion, Tomato Plant, Tropic Snow Dumbcane
House Plants: Ceriman (aka Cutleaf Philodendron), Chinese Evergreen, Cordatum, Corn Plant (aka Cornstalk Plant), Cutleaf Philodendron (aka Ceriman), Devil's Ivy, Dumb Cane, Golden Pothos, Green Gold Nephthysis, Marble Queen, Mauna Loa Peace Lily, Nephthytis, Peace Lily, Red-Margined Dracaena, Striped Dracaena, Taro Vine, Warneckei Dracaena
Lillies: Asian Lily (liliaceae), Easter Lily, Glory Lily, Japanese Show Lily, Red Lily, Rubrum Lily, Stargazer Lily, Tiger Lily, Wood Lily
Shrubs: Cycads, Heavenly Bamboo, Holly, Jerusalem Cherry, Mistletoe "American", Oleander, Precatory Bean, Rhododendron, Saddle Leaf Philodendron, Sago Palm, Tree Philodendron, Yucca
Succulents: Aloe (Aloe Vera)
Trees: Avocado, Buddist Pine, Chinaberry Tree, Japanese Yew (aka Yew), Lacy Tree, Macadamia Nut, Madagascar Dragon Tree, Queensland Nut, Schefflera, Yew (aka Japanese Yew)
Vines: Branching Ivy, English Ivy, European Bittersweet, Glacier Ivy, Hahn's self branching English Ivy, Needlepoint Ivy
Misc/Uncategorized: American Bittersweet, Andromeda Japonica, Azalea, Bird of Paradise, Buckeye, Caladium hortulanum, Calla Lily, Castor Bean, Clematis, Fiddle-Leaf Philodendron, Florida Beauty, Fruit Salad Plant, Golden Dieffenbachia, Gold Dust Dracaena, Heartleaf Philodendron, Horsehead Philodendron, Hurricane Plant, Mexican Breadfruit, Mother-in-law, Panda, Philodendron Pertusum, Red Emerald, Red Princess, Ribbon Plant, Satin Pothos, Spotted Dumb Cane, Sweetheart Ivy, Swiss Cheese Plant, Variable Dieffenbachia, Variegated Philodendron, Yesterday/Today/Tomorrow

Do You Have Children??

It's the question that makes all of us adults without kids cringe. If we say no, will they think that we hate kids?? Too cheap to adopt? Too crazy to adopt?!! So.. I have come up with an answer that works for me. "No... never had any kids.. tho I love them. We have two dogs. I dont have to pay for college and they dont sass me!"

Terri gets a puppy.....

For my first post, it seems appropriate to start at the beginning... puppies! Who doesn't love a puppy? The new puppy in our family is my sister, Terri's tiny, cuddly puppy, Charlie. Yes, I know that Charlie is residing at the home of Terri and Bill (Happy Birthday, Bill!)... but Charlie lives in a world called TERRI. I cant ever remember seeing a puppy so attached to just one person. It took a whole day... and Terri running an errand.. to get Charlie on my lap. Now I know my two goldens love me... but as soon as a visitor is in the house... they love them, too. That includes laying across any visitors lap and waiting patiently (and sometimes not so patiently if they can get the door open!) outside the door of the guest room each morning.
It has been over 12 years since Terri and Bill brought Bandit and Freckles home as puppies. They are gone now... and a new "what do I need for a puppy?" list was needed. Of course, there are the dog leashes, bowls, and most importantly the stuffed animals and tennis balls. But.. what else??? Here is a list of my Buddy and Liberty tried, tested and approved (they give them a 10 paw rating!) items:

1. Good Food. None of that store brand, Costco stuff for my dogs. I used to feed Ranger and Shadow, our old retrievers, raw meat, bones and a veggie mush. They loved it and it was so healthy for them. I was always getting compliments on their coats, their energy, teeth... you name it.. they looked and felt great! Each night at dinner they got a raw chicken thigh (with bones as long as it is NOT cooked) and a mush made of green beans and carrots. For some reason, probably laziness on my part, I have not set this diet up yet with Buddy and Liberty (even tho Liberty loved the raw diet, too)... but I promise them I will rectify this soon. So for now... I tell anyone that asks me about dog food to go to www.DextersDeli.com Dexter's is a healthy pet store in San Diego. They have great classes, too. If they sell it at Dexter's Deli, then it is great for your dogs. They have a list on their website. Luckily Petco now has an aisle of healthy pet foods... somewhere in the back... you will see them all grouped together.

2. Good Supplements. For years we have been supplementing our dogs' foods with two items from Springtime Inc. www.springtimeinc.com First they get Longevity in their nightly dinners. This powder contains everything they need and might not be getting in their regular diets. Second, for the prevention of fleas and ticks, our dogs diet includes the chewable garlic tabs every morning with their breakfasts. Liberty eats them like treats. For Buddy I have to disguise them into his food. We live in a rural area with lots of critters. So far we have not seen one tick on our dogs and we do not have a problem with fleas. I was so tired of seeing my dogs get sick the next day after I applied a topical drop flea prevention. Hmmm... doesn't sound healthy, does it? The garlic chews have worked perfect for us!

3. Good shampoo and cleaners. For our dogs shampoo, I wanted something healthy on their coats, so we use Aubrey Organics. They have an awesome, great smelling shampoo and cream rinse. I also add a tiny bottle of Halo Pet's Cloud Nine Herbal Dip to their cream rinse. It helps keep any critters away and also smells great! For cleaning their ears (and I start doing this while they are pups), I use a non harmful cleaner by Only Natural Pets. It contains Tea Tree Oil and smells so nice. If anyone has ever had to deal with dirty ears... and then an ear infection.. you know how important it is to keep those ears clean and dry.. esp after the beach or a bath. www.aubreyorganics.com www.halopets.com www.onlynaturalpet.com

4. Holistic Vet. Not everyone sees the need for a holistic vet. My husband and I go to a holistic doctor, so why not my dogs? We like the more natural approach to medicine. These vets are regular vets, they have just gone on to study further a more natural friendly way of taking care of our dogs. Does your dog have arthritis?? Instead of just giving him a pill... how about acupuncture to make him feel better naturally, without the side affects that some medicines have. We have been so lucky to have two great holistic vets. In Orlando we had Dr Constance Di Natale... she is a national educator of holistic vets. When we lived in San Diego, we hit the jackpot with Dr Keith Weingardt at the Animal Healing Center near Sea World. Keith was so helpful with Ranger's arthritis... and an angel in disguise when Ranger had cancer. www.hositicvetlist.com

That's it... I think. I lost my original first blog post (which I can assure you was much more informational and clever!)... and so I am hoping I havent left anything out. If I did, you will be reading about it soon.....